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James Kelley
Police Officer Joe Amato rushed into a burning building in Queens to save a family Monday.
Posted on 01/15/2008 7:06:55 AM PST by Stoat
James Kelley, 22, was in the Richmond Hill pizza parlor where his mother works about 3:30 p.m. when he heard screaming.
"I ran outside and saw two girls screaming from the second floor" of a neighboring building, Kelley said. "All I could think was, 'I need to help.' I was just thinking, 'Save those kids.'"
Unable to break through a wall of fire and smoke on the second floor, he rushed to an adjacent laundermat and grabbed a fire extinguisher.
After discharging it, he ran outside for another, but by then Police Officer Joe Amato had arrived, Kelley said.
The two men battled thick smoke to make it to the second-floor apartment of the three-story building. After kicking down the door, Amato "told me to just grab whoever I can," Kelley said.
He carried the toddler and led her older sister to safety while Amato, 34, directed their mother and two other sisters out of the blackened building.
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(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
James Kelley
Police Officer Joe Amato rushed into a burning building in Queens to save a family Monday.
Heroic New Yorkers Ping :-)
GOD Bless them both.
Why do I doubt that this cop will be hounded like that CGer in the UK?
Probably because the NYPD is not 'completely' infested with Socialist pencil-pushers, and they understand what's truly important :-)
For readers who may be unfamiliar with Roccus' reference:
Coastguard who saved girl twice quits over health and safety row (We don't want dead heroes)
Amen! :-)
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